After over a week without going hunting ( I sure hate busy schedules and being sick) I made it out into the woods. The morning hunt I went with my good friend that hunts with me on a regular basis and we took our muzzleloaders ( yes I know I traded my bow for muzzleloader) and went to a small piece of land I recently got permission to hunt on. I was hoping that after two days of rain, and a dusting of snow that the deer would be up and moving and I was on the look out for a nice big doe to help fill the freezer. Well, all good plans never work out so well, we did not see a single thing all morning. It was a very pretty morning and I will give that property another try soon. Then around mid-day I got several emails and texts saying no one saw any deer in the morning or if they did it was one and a long way off.
I had to work between hunting sadly, but managed to get back out onto the small private property that I bow hunt where the trail cam photos come from. I got in around 3:20, yes I know late, but the last time I checked the trail cam the deer were not entering that field till after 4:30 so I took my chances. I also choose this location because I was running late, I never head out into Loch Raven when I am running that late so I do not screw up other hunters. I sat in my tree and finally around 4:45 or so, one little button buck came down out and went into the field to eat. then right before it got dark dark, another small deer, which I believe was the other button buck I have seen on the trail cam with the first one came down the same trail. I stayed in my tree just to see if anything else came out right at dark but nothing. In fact as the moon rose overhead I watched the two small deer walk back into the woods and nothing else came out. So I waited on them so I did not disturb them and got down and headed home. Another slow evening of hunting and not even a doe in sight, so I started thinking about why this was.
Well, it is the moon of course. The full moon is out there and allowing the deer to feed all night long. Plus it will be triggering the second phase of rut if there are any does that have not been breed. The bucks will be chasing them in the coming week or even sooner if this is the case. I think this weekend between the cold weather and the moon hunting could make for pretty good hunting. However, it is back to like early November, find does and you might even find a buck, but if you do not find the does, you may sit in your tree and see nothing.
Good luck this weekend and coming week and let us know what you are experiencing in the woods!
